NBA underdogs prove stacked teams aren’t guaranteed success as Indiana Pacers on verge of history

Follow us on Google Discover

The Indiana Pacers are two wins away from an NBA title – something that felt unthinkable when the playoffs began.

Ratings for the Finals might be down, but the quality of basketball hasn’t disappointed. The Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder are both playing fast, unselfish basketball and Game 3 was the latest showcase of that style.

Chad Buchanan’s side have done it with just a single All-Star, knocking off more talented teams every step of the way. It really has been an underdog story.

Tyrese Haliburton has driven their success, even if not everyone is ready to call him a superstar. Around him, it’s been a team effort – the kind you rarely see this deep into June.

Pacers add another chapter to NBA’s growing underdog trend

After a 2-1 lead over the Thunder, the Pacers now have nine playoff wins as the underdog this postseason, which ties them for the second-most in NBA history. Only the 2023 Miami Heat – who also thrived without multiple stars – have more.

Four of the top six underdog playoff runs in league history have come since 2020, a clear sign of how the league has shifted away from the superstar era of the previous decade. Take a look at how Indiana compares to other underdog stories:

Not only have all four of those runs come in the past five seasons, but three of them – Miami in 2020 and 2023, and now Indiana – don’t feature multiple All-Stars. The 2020 Rockets were also a similar team in structure.

Stacked rosters don’t always lead to titles

In this five-year stretch, we can see a clear pattern developing where All-Star power stacked teams don’t equate to consistent success.

Let’s take a look at that list over the last five seasons.

Of the 34 teams listed, 28 of them made the playoffs while three didn’t get past the play-in tournament.

Here’s the breakdown:

• 10 ended up making it to the Conference Final
• 5 made it to an NBA Finals
• 2 were crowned champions
• 14 didn’t get past the first round

While there can still be success in rosters holding multiple All-Stars, the win share, in the end, doesn’t match the expected talent level.

With the team holding nothing more than one active All-Star on their team, the Pacers now aim to become the third team to win an NBA title in five years.